QMI Agency

OTTAWA - A day after Sun News host Brian Lilley reported that CBC President Hubert Lacroix repaid almost $30,000 in bogus travel claims, Lacroix admitted the claims were "clearly out of bounds."

"I take full responsibility for it because I'm the boss of CBC-Radio Canada," Lacroix said on-air on the state broadcaster on Friday.

Lilley reported last week that Lacroix quietly paid back $29,678.11 in inappropriate expenses last September for hotels, meals and other expenses for work at CBC headquarters in Ottawa - away from his Montreal home.

Lacroix also said he didn't feel he needed to make the repayment public until Friday.

"There was an error inside our shop," he said. "Everybody that had to know knew."

Lacroix's claims violated CBC bylaws, and came on top of Lacroix's $1,500 monthly living allowance, car allowance, club memberships and annual salary between $350,000 and $421,000.

Lacroix said neither he nor anyone else at CBC knew his claims broke the rules until an audit last summer.